Thankful Thursday: Clifford Breaks Down

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Last week, we had an exciting adventure at the Walmart gas station.  Our van, "Clifford", broke down.  At the pump. 

At first, it wasn't a big deal.  I thought for sure it was something minor that my older girls and I could fix.  After 30 minutes of trying to diagnose the problem, we didn't know what was wrong.  At this point, we knew we needed to move the van away from the pump in the event Clifford was going to spend the night at the gas station.

My future son-in-law had come to help, and one man pumping gas next to us jumped in to try and help as well.  All we had to do was move this 15 passenger van to a parking spot.  Just so happens, we were at the ONLY pump in the gas station that was in direct line to a parking space.  Thank you, Jesus, for directing me to that pump!

Just as we were about to push the van into the spot, approximately 50 ft away, a car pulls into it.  I immediately ran to the gentleman and kindly asked him if he would park elsewhere so that we could push the big red van into his spot.  Without hesitation, he moved his car....and we pushed Clifford safely into the spot.

By this time, the man who was already helping us had diagnosed the problem as a bad fuel pump.  I knew that we would not be able to fix the fuel pump in the parking lot, so at this point, we just needed to get home.  A friend had already been called to come and get us, and was on her way.

Before our friend had arrived, the man I had asked to move his car, drove over to us and asked if we needed help.  We told him that it was probably the fuel pump and that we wouldn't be able to do anything until the next day.  It was just getting dark by then.  The man, Frank, asked to take a look.  He suggested that it could just be the fuel filter..and that if it was, he would change it for us right there in the parking lot.  He got on the phone with Auto Zone, where he used to work, to see if they had the part in stock.  They did.  Frank took off to his home to get some tools and the part.  What a nice man!

Our friend, Bethany, had come by, picked up most of the kids and took them home.  The kids did great and had a wonderful opportunity to practice patience.  They were tired, bored, and hungry...it was well past dinner time for them and they had been sitting for nearly two hours.  I was so glad when they were able to get home!

Frank returned, changed out the filter, but it wasn't the filter after all.  How sweet of him it was to check the less expensive possibility first...and do it for us.  Well, then...if that wasn't sweet enough, Frank gets back on the phone with Auto Zone to inquire about a fuel pump.  They have one in stock.  I told Frank that I would need to talk with my husband (who was at work) to find out if he would be able to fix a fuel pump on his own.  Greg is the one who fixes most things on our vehicles, but I knew he had never fixed a fuel pump, mainly because you have to drop the entire gas tank.  A BIG job on a BIG van!

So Frank says, "I'm off tomorrow and can fix it for you, free of charge!"  Say WHA???  Who IS this guy and why does he want to spend his day off fixing a total stranger's HUGE RED VAN? 

On a side note, when Frank got into our van to try and turn it over, before the kids were hauled home, he looked back at all the kids and asked, "Are they part of a daycare?"  I literally laughed out loud!

Back to the story!  We were so humbled over Frank's kindness.  And sure enough, the next day, he and Nathan (my future son-in-law), both spent their day off under Clifford.  For about five hours.  In the Walmart gas station.  In one little parking spot.  Isn't that incredible? 

There are so many more details about this story that I would love to share, but just don't have the time to get it all down right now.  Let's just say that God orchestrated this whole occurrence in such a unique way, and involved several  people.  Only God can do such an amazing thing.

We are SO thankful for Frank and Nathan, and all the others who helped over those two days.  As much as I did not like the fact that our van broke down, and with a costly repair, I couldn't help but marvel at how God worked in such a way to weave a beautiful tapestry of kindness, generosity, and grace.  I had no choice but to praise Him!

On another side note....we found out that Frank goes to the same church where my OB doctor attends.  Small world! :)

Please share what are you thankful for? 

This post is linked up to The Marathon Mom.

Family Update

Just some updates.........

Can you believe I'm just FOUR days away from my due date? I can't believe it! The funny thing is.......I'm still in no rush to go into labor. I think it's because I REALLY want to hold out until my mom gets here on the 4th. Just rwo more days........I think I can hold on! ;-) Initially, she was only able to stay one week, but thankfully, she was able to extend her stay to TWO WEEKS! Yippee! Now I feel like we have time..........time to visit, time for the baby to come, and time to enjoy the baby once he/she arrives!

I have been SO lost without our digital camera! It broke some time ago and I've realized it's not as much fun posting on the blog without pictures to go along with some of the posts. I'm sure we'll replace it soon, but before the birth! We do have a video camera, and a stock pile of disposable cameras, but without a digital, I can't zip out pictures of the baby to friends and family right away! SOOOOO, if you're coming to my birth (and you know who you are), will you PLEASE bring your digital camera with you? At least that way you all can email me the pics and I can email those out! I would really appreciate it!

A few friends have asked about the latest on our house situation. Well, as you know, we have not sold our current home yet, so the possibility of moving is looking slim. Although the new house is still not completed, we received a phone call the other day from our sales rep telling us that the "head honchos" want to cancel our contract because we have not sold our house. Honestly, we couldn't help but just laugh about it! If they want to cancel before the house is even finished, so be it! Our sales rep is still trying to fight the big guys and convince them to hold onto the contract until the house is done (at least another month), so we'll see what happens. In the end, it really doesn't matter though. God in in control and He already has a plan for the Sabo family so we'll just sit back and watch what He does in this situation. In the meantime, we'll just focus on the arrival of this sweet baby and enjoy my mom being here. I guess the only thing we may do if the contract is canceled is take our house off the market so we can rest and enjoy the baby without the hassel of showings!

Please keep in prayer the Cambron family! Many of you know already that Charles is leaving for Iraq for the second time in a couple of days. He'll be gone for four months. Please pray for his safety while he's away and the peace of knowing his family will be taken care of. Pray for Stacey and the kids as they wait for his return. May God fill them with His peace and comfort and may those of us around them minister to them daily! We'll miss you Charles! Thank you for all that you do to protect your country!

I guess that's all for updates. Hopefully my next post will be labor and baby news! Happy New Year!

We've Been Tagged

......by the sick bug, that is! Just when we thought we had escaped it, IT got us......well some of us! Ethan, Chloe and Sophia are all croupy with slight fevers. Last night, we had to take Ethan to an Urgent Care clinic because he was having some breathing difficulty. After two breathing treatments and an oral steroid, he was back to his mischievous self. He slept well until about 3am and then began wheezing again, but not as severe. He's doing well this morning......we'll just keep an eye on him. Sophia seems to be getting over it already and Chloe seems to be in the thick of it. We're hoping and praying that everyone will be well by Wednesday in time for our Reformation celebration at church.  

And to just second what Tami said about Little Spurs Pediatric Urgent Care , they were wonderful! We had been there before about a year ago, and had a good experience, so we were definitely willing to go back rather than deal with an ER. Anyway, they were a bit busy but because Ethan was having breathing issues, they immediately took us back to at least get his O2 sat checked, which was what we were concerned about. Since it was 97, they sent us back out to the waiting room. While we waited, his breathing got worse. By the time it was our turn, his O2 saturation had dropped so they began a breathing treatment immediately. We got to the clinic about 8pm and didn't leave until 11:30......the clinic closed at 9pm. Although I'm sure they're used to staying after hours, it was their cheerful spirits (that late at night after a long day) and their care for Ethan that really made us feel good about being there. Another neat service is that you can register on-line before you go (which is what we did) to avoid a lot of paper work once you get there. All we had to do was sign our name and give them our insurance card. Much quicker and much easier when you have a sick child. So, if you live in San Antonio and want to avoid the ER, I highly recommend this clinic!

Hoping YOU all are well and having a great day!

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Hopeful News and Update

I am so excited that I have to ask for prayer first, and then I'll give an update about my foot!

My midwife called me today with some promising news. She said there's been some BIG breakthroughs with our particular insurance company and that they may cover a home birth after all. Initially, they were going to cover between 40-50%, stating that my midwife would be paid as an out-of-network provider. That just wasn't enough coverage for us at this time. But, Janet has since found out that they may be required to cover fully, or at least more than before! I won't know anything for a couple of weeks, but I'm very excited about the possibility and wanted to ask for prayer!

Ever since we made the decision to revert back to a hospital birth, we have continued praying that God would, somehow, allow us to home birth after all! We'll see what happens! I'm so thankful to Janet for continuing to pursue our insurance company! Go Janet!

Okay, now the foot! I'm fine.....pain is minimal.....still can't believe I was that clumsy! At my ortho appt today, I was relieved to find out that, due to the nature of the break and location, I could be put into a boot instead of a cast! YIPPEE! I was fretting a cast all day yesterday, knowing I would not be able to get to all those pesky itches! With the boot, although it's heavy and actually hurts more, I can remove it for showers and SCRATCHING!  I still have to remain on crutches for a couple of weeks, and trust me, pregnant women and crutches do NOT mix, but I'll go back to the ortho doc in two weeks to see what's next.

Once again, thank you for your prayers, your love, and your kindness in helping to take care of our family! We are blessed beyond measure and are continually amazed by the actions of God's people at work!

Daughter in Training

One of the many ways our family has been able save a little money has been by avoiding the salon or barber when possible. I have been cutting hair since I was a teenager and this has come in handy for our growing family. I am not a professional and have had no formal training, I just seemed to have had a knack for cutting hair.  And I had many opportunities when I was young.

My brothers were my first victims customers, and then my sister offered her head as a sacrifice practice model. And that led to some of their friends asking for hair cuts.

So when I married Greg, well, naturally I would convince him to let me cut his hair as well. What a nice man!!!

SO, I figure, in the 16 years we've been married, at approximately one cut a month times 16 years, say at $10 a cut, I've saved us at LEAST $1920.00. Of course, that doesn't even include Seth's hair or the girls......just Greg!

Recently, Cheyenne has shown an interest in learning how to cut hair. And since it is our goal to train our girls in all aspects in the art of homemaking, now is the perfect time to begin. The last few "training sessions" consisted of her just observing while I talked about and demonstrated different techniques. Today was the big cutting day......and what a good daddy to allow his head to be used for training purposes!


Cheyenne did a great job and I can't wait for her to be able to cut hair on her own to take some of the load off of me!


So here you have it....our freshly cut men!

Cheyenne Update

We are pleased and thankful to report that Cheyenne's surgery went VERY smoothly!

We arrived at the hospital about 7am, where we were met by our sweet pastor who was already there (and if you saw traffic that morning, you'd be impressed too!). We got all checked in and Pastor Dirk prayed with us before he had to make his trek across town to his other job. We SO much appreciated him being there and offering much comfort to Cheyenne as she waited for surgery. After some painful anesthesia prep, she was wheeled back to the OR. The surgery only took about an hour and we were reunited with our baby in no time. She had some post-op recovery time and we were home by noon!

We just want to say thank you to our friend Cindee who was so sweet to offer to watch all the little ones so both Greg and I could be with Cheyenne. We also want to thank Cathi, John, Shelley, Stephanie K., and Shannon for providing meals for our family, and our church family for their prayers. I must mention how surprised I was to learn, from my sweet pastor's wife, that all these arrangements had been made in advance. We are overwhelmed and we are blessed!

Thank you, Father, for granting us your perfect peace and keeping your loving hand of protection upon your child. We give you all the glory, honor, and praise for keeping Cheyenne safe and pray that your healing hands will continue to grace her over the coming weeks!

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My Girls, My Heros

They never cease to amaze me....
Yes, this is another I-can't-live-without-my-older-girls story! The other day I had my first OB appt with my midwife. My appt was at 4:00pm and Greg was working so I had the girls babysit the little ones! Since it was my first appt, I knew it would be a long one but I didn't think it would be three hours long.

Before I left for my appt, I had pre-baked some potatoes in preparation for dinner, but had told Cheyenne that I would finish dinner once I got home. Well, as my appt went on I got hungrier and hungrier and was PRAYING that the girls had at least begun dinner.

I called Cheyenne at 6pm to let her know I was on my way home. I asked her if they happened to have started dinner and her response was, "Dinner's ready and we're keeping it warm in the oven!"

I was so happy I could cry (remember, I'm pregnant). Then I asked her if she would mind feeding Ethan (the baby) because I'm sure he was starving by then.  She responded with, "We already fed him!"

What topped things off was when I got home.  The house was spotless, all the kids were fed, and they had my place at the table neatly set and ready for me to sit down! I'm about to cry again just thinking about it! Talk about a blessing!

Although my girls do sweet things like this on a regular basis, I'm still always so amazed by their sweet spirits and servant's hearts!

To show them my love and appreciation, I took them out and treated them to Starbucks last night! We had a great time!

On another note.......as I'm writing this post, I hear Celeste upstairs teaching the four little ones about what to do in case of a fire! So funny....she's quizzing them! Very cute!

Sewing Lessons

Over the last year, we've gotten to know a sweet family from around the corner. They have recently begun homeschooling their two older children, and now love the idea of them having more time on their hands to learn new skills. When their oldest daughter, Erin, heard that Cheyenne and Celeste knew how to sew, she asked if they would teach her! The girls were thrilled! Here are some pics of the first lesson!








Here is Cheyenne teaching Erin the very basics.....threading the machine!
















Now Celeste is showing her how to install and thread the bobbin.














Some of the other things the girls covered: Winding the bobbin, how to read a pattern, cutting out a pattern, basic stitching and trouble shooting the machine! Erin wants to make a skirt, so they took her measurements and pinned the pattern. Next week they'll have her cut her pattern and begin sewing it together.







It was so neat watching them work together......my heart smiled!

My Girls, My Heros

I'd just like to share with you about how much I appreciate my older girls. Of course, I appreciate and love ALL of my children, but this post is reserved for Cheyenne (14) and Celeste (11). I've always said that God knew I needed the two older girls to help me manage all of the younger ones. We say it with a joking connotation, but most days, there is so much truth in the statement. Today was no exception.

Over the past couple of weeks we've had a string of illnesses pass through most of the kids. The one it affected the most, of course, was baby Ethan. It's impossible for a 9 month old baby to sleep with a congested head and a nagging cough.....so, he didn't......which meant WE didn't.

After several nights of almost no sleep, the dynamics of our household had become a bit short-tempered and irritable. Okay, MOM had become short-tempered and irritable, mostly just the days Daddy was at work.

Cheyenne and Celeste have always been huge helpers in my life and they always seem to find unexpected ways in which to minister to Momma. Chey is really good about offering to watch the little ones so I can lie down for a bit. Celeste is always good about secretly setting up my foot bath massager while I'm putting the little ones to bed. Then, while my feet are soaking, she'll rub my shoulders or brush my hair.

Once again, they both managed to show me the love and service of Jesus while I was having a difficult/tired morning. Ethan actually slept all through the night, which was GREAT, however, the storm kept me up for several hours. Nonetheless, I felt pretty good and was geared up for a great day of schooling (even during spring break).

Well, as soon as Ethan woke up, he fussed and fussed and fussed. This usually doesn't bother me, especially since I know he just doesn't feel well.  But today, I just didn't have it in me to cope with all of the fussing and whimpering.......for hours.

He wasn't happy playing and he wasn't happy being held. He didn't quite know what he wanted, he just knew he didn't feel well. I decided to put him to bed hoping that he just needed a nap. That didn't work. At this point, I'm on the verge of tears out of sheer exhaustion, so I put him back into his crib and flopped onto my bed. 

He just cried and cried. So I prayed and prayed! I prayed that the God would give me what I needed to get through the day.

Just then, Cheyenne came into my room and said, "Mommy, would you like me to give Ethan a bath? That usually makes him feel better." I told her that that was a good idea and thanked her for taking him. Then, Celeste came in and immediately began to assist Cheyenne, and then went to get fresh clothes for Ethan. I heard Celeste tell the little ones to "play quietly so Mom can rest".

I can't tell you how blessed I felt at that moment. Just the mere fact that my sweet girls were ministering to me with a caring spirit, I suddenly gained a second wind and a renewed desire make this a joyful day. I thanked the Lord for blessing me with them and hopped out of bed, ready to be mom again.

They are so special and I am truly thankful for them. Not only are they sweet girls, but they were also setting a tremendous example to the younger ones by their sweet service. I hope and pray that our little ones will follow in their footsteps, not only by serving our family, but serving others as well.

Thank you, Cheyenne and Celeste for ministering to me in such a special way and helping me get through our "daddyless days" with joy! I love you!

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